Automatic bowling pinspotter machines have been designed to meet the rules and regulations of the game of ten pins as established by the American Bowling Congress. Such machines have received official A.B.C. approval and are in use in numerous bowling establishments. Of the approved machines, certain models perform several types of functions according to the requirements of the game, including returning the bowling ball. Modern technology, in addition, has produced some machines that are equipped with a ball return which operates continuously and independent of the cycles of the machine.
In a machine of the above description, the ball return mechanism includes a side to side sweeping rudder, a transverse ball trough, a ball-lift of the endless belt variety, and gravity return rails. The ball-lift carries the ball from the end trough high enough to permit a gravity return.
The endless-belt ball-lift is mounted between the side metal kickbacks of two adjacent machines and has an opening in the kickback plate permitting the ball to enter the lift after it has been bowled. A metal rudder sweeps back and forth between the kickback plates of each pair of machines, alternately blocking the ball opening on one machine while it allows the ball from the adjacent machine to enter the lift.
The lift proper consists of a moving belt and a track between which the ball enters. The moving belt forces the ball against the track and it is rolled up to the return rails. Tension on the belt is maintained by applying an outward force to the upper and lower yokes which support pulleys on either end of the belt.
In order to provide sufficient pressure against the belt to cause the ball to be lifted to the gravity rails, machines of this type employ a ball kicker assembly. The ball kicker assembly is a pivotally mounted shaft having pressure means and a driven rotatable cushioned roller. The roller exerts pressure upon the entering bowling ball causing it to contact the belt of the ball lift with sufficient pressure to engage the ball lift. The pressure means on the ball kicker assembly generally includes a series of pulleys and a driving belt running through the pulleys with a set of springs attached to the arm of an idler pulley thereby placing tension upon the pulley belt and ultimately tensioning the ball kicker assembly.
Through extensive operation, it has been found that the method of providing pressure for the ball kicker by the use of the pulley arrangement has been inadequate and the ball kicker skips or hops on the ball thereby failing to provide adequate friction to cause the ball to engage the ball-lift device.
Various methods of correcting the skipping problem have been attempted without lasting success. One such method of correcting the ball kicker problem was to constantly change the cushioned roller on the ball kicker assembly. Another method utilized was to increase the spring tension on the idler pulleys. Neither of these attempts met with lasting success as the roller on the free end of the ball kicker assembly continued to skip and miss contact with the bowling ball unless the roller was constantly replaced. The resultant continual replacement of parts is both expensive and time consuming.
Increasing the number of springs on the idler pulleys contributed to additional wear on the belt but did little to correct the problem of the ball kicker skipping on the bowling ball. When the ball kicker skips the bowling ball becomes stuck in the machine and frustrates the bowler.
There is, consequently, a need for a ball kicker pressure device, which can be conveniently attached to existing automatic bowling pinspotter machines to improve the handling and introduction of the bowling ball to the ball lift device.
Of the known prior art devices, none meet the existing need for a device which is simple, compact, inexpensive to maintain, contains few moving parts, is easily adapted to existing machines, is dependable with a decreased danger of breakdown, is inexpensive to manufacture, can be easily adjusted to provide the proper tension, and is capable of providing the proper pressure on the bowling ball to assist the ball into the ball lift device within the automatic bowling pinspotter machine.
The instant invention is directed to a novel device and method which meets all of these existing needs.